9.| Lucid Dreams

Inside Yuè's dreams, the same bird that had been watching him through his window the night before, perched on a branch, beckoning him to follow with his silver eyes that glowed in the shadows surrounding the tree.

He didn't want to go, but Yuè couldn't control his own actions. His legs had a mind of their own, forcing him to slip from his bed and walk to the window which opened on its own accord.

Over the ledge, he could see the blades of grass dancing in the wind, quickening his heart as his gaze lifted to meet the bird who perched on a tree branch in the distance.

Tendrils of white mist swirled around it, and when it dissipated, a man remained—his face blurred out in splotches of darkness. All he could see was his long black hair and two horns protruding from his head.

"Come with me." The smoky voice was familiar. The man who'd visited him by the lake side. He extended his hand out and waited for Yuè to take it.

He hesitated a moment, eyeing the blurred figure in confusion, but whatever power that made him follow had him reaching out to take the man's hand. "Who are you?" He found himself asking.

The man pulled Yuè into his arms without answer. He wore an unbuttoned silky black robe that hung open, showcasing lean abs and chiseled pectoral muscles as he leaped over the edge of the tree branch.

Dark wings sprouted from his back, carrying them through the air and over Marcellus' mansion. Crimson treetops and spindly shimmering rivers zipped by, the breeze cold and biting the further they went.

A distant part of him knew that he should be panicking, yet instead, he leaned against the man's chest, watching as the trees blurred by them serenely. This wasn't right. Why was he so calm?

"Will you not tell me your name?" He asked again, looking up at the blurred face. The closer he looked, the more difficult it became to see him.

"Not yet." The man had replied as fog thickened the air. They lowered through it, water misting on their skin. Even the weather grew colder as they drew closer to snow capped mountains that glistened in the moonlight. "This is where it begins."

Yuè shivered, a cloud of white passing his lips. "I don't know what's going on. What's beginning?" His brows furrowed. What was with the men in his life being frustratingly vague. He stared up at the moon, mesmerized by it. It always managed to draw him in.

"I'll show you." Was the man's only response.

Yuè felt the wind in his hair and a freedom in his veins he'd never felt before as they soared over the snow capped mountains. The moonlight illuminated the mysterious man's dark wings, making them shimmer like silver.

Somehow in this dream, he enjoyed this feeling of being one with the sky, of escaping the world below that seemed to be filled with all his troubles.

He looked down at the majestic landscape, admiring the contrast between the white peaks and the dark curving valleys. The glint of frozen lakes and rivers reflected the stars like mirrors, and the sound of howling wolves and the hoot of owls were the only noise in the silent night.

Here, he felt safe somehow. No one would find him here. No one could hurt him here. No one would feel as though he were a burden. This dream left him feeling as though he could leave his past behind, his pain, his regrets.

The man holding his dipped lower, the wind rushing up as his gaze lingered on a small opening in the mountain. Yuè watched as the stranger's wings angled and he dove toward it, overwhelming Yuè with a rush of adrenaline.

They entered the cave and landed with a soft thud.

An orange glow flickered along the stone walls, and there was a warmth that told somewhere further inside was an ongoing fire.

"Where are we…it feels… familiar." He breathed out.

The man set Yuè down gently, curving a wing around them both to shield them from the cold drifting into the cave from the mountain side. Yuè felt his warm breath on his ear as he whispered, "This is where we met a long time ago. You don't remember, do you?"

Yuè's brows furrowed at that, unable to recall. A pang of sadness went through him at that. The thought of not remembering something so beautiful. "I'm sorry."

There was something about this man that drew him in. An echo of something that he once knew. Like a song he'd forgotten the lyrics to. The familiarity of someone he could trust. Yet he didn't know why.

Why would he trust someone who had just taken him from a place he was meant to be safe? Why did he feel so safe here?

But even underneath that feeling of safety, there was an edge of something sharper. Something darker. Something dangerous. Like a beast lurking in the shadows of the caves, watching, waiting. For him.

"Why are we here?" He breathed out, clutching the man's hand tightly. Yuè looked at the man, hoping to find some answers. But his face was still blurred as though someone had smudged paint over a pitch black canvas.

The man smiled, a faint curve of his lips as he leaned closer to Yué, his breath still warm against his ear. "I am your destiny."

***

Yuè opened his eyes slowly, feeling someone's warm breath on the nape of his neck. He turned his head, catching a glimpse of Gunter's peaceful face, his tousled curly brown hair, and his slightly parted lips. Gunter's arms were wrapped around him, holding him close to his chest.

After the strange dreams of the same man that spoke to him at the lake behind the mansion, he felt an immense gratitude and comfort. Somehow Gunter seemed to always be there for him, always unintentionally making him feel safe without actually trying.

He looked around the room, taking in the unfamiliar details. The cave was long gone, replaced with a small and cozy bedroom with wooden walls and a stone fireplace. There were shelves full of books and trinkets, a desk with a lantern and a quill; a wardrobe with clothes and a mirror.

There was a window on the opposite wall, the curtains drawn back to let in the morning light. The sunlight streamed through the glass, casting golden rays on the bed and the carpeted floor.

Yuè's heart dropped. This was Gunter's room, and it reminded him too much of how his Babà would cuddle up to him when the nights were cold back in Ironedge inside their cottage in the woods.

They had spent many nights there, talking, laughing, reading, dreaming. They had shared secrets and fears, hopes and wishes. They had shared everything.

But now everything was different. In this new world, he felt all alone. Everything was changing.

Yuè remembered his strange dream. The one that had shown him a man he had never met, but felt he knew. A man with dark wings and a blurred face, who had taken him to a place he had never seen before but felt he belonged. A man who had whispered in his ear, "I am your destiny."

Yuè shivered. Who was that man? What did he want from him? What did he mean by destiny? Yuè had no answers, only questions. He felt a pull towards that man, a pull he couldn't resist or explain. He felt a bond with that man, a bond he couldn't break or deny.

But he also felt fear, causing him to shift closer to Gunter.

He feared what that man would do to him, what he would make him do, just like how he couldn't control his own actions inside his dream. Could he actually make him do something he didn't want? Could he make him lose more than what he'd lost?

It was already bad enough that Marcellus, the lord and prince of Salthelm, hated his very existence. He couldn't forget last night. He thought of his cold and cruel voice, his piercing and hateful crimson eyes.

Yuè felt confused and scared. He didn't hate Marcellus, he feared what would happen now that his village didn't want him to return. Now that Marcellus realized he regretted ever saving him.

He tightened his grip on Gunter's arm, feeling his warmth and heartbeat. He buried his face in Gunter's shoulder, smelling his scent. Yuè whispered his father's name.

He wanted to go back home, to tell his Baba everything. To tell him about his dream, about the man with wings. To ask him what they should do and where they should go.

But Yuè knew his Baba was old. How many times would he put his father through so much all because Yuè was different?

Yuè was pulled from his thoughts when he felt Gunter's hand grip his left ass cheek tightly.

"Don't worry," Gunter mumbled deeply in his sleep. "I promise I can make it fit."

Yuè's mind halted along with his body as he became completely still. This only seemed to make Gunter grip him closer. "G-Gunter? Wake up." He squeaked out.

"I am awake," His voice sent chills down Yuè's spine. His voice was deeper than usual, the childish tone gone. He kept fondling his cheek. "As a husband to you, it's my job to please you. I can sense your distress, let me take care of that."

Yuè was flipped onto his back, one of Gunter's legs hiked up between his own. "I never got to finish last night, you know."

"Aah!" Yuè slapped a hand over his mouth, his cheeks flaming red at the lewd sound only to whimper at the feeling of the thick thigh pressed against his very exposed intimates.

Last night he had gone to sleep in only a shirt since he was alone in his own room, never expecting to wake up in the bed of another. Now he was regretting the decision to not wear more.

Yuè looked up at Gunter in embarrassment and confusion. Why did he sound so different, it was as though his entire demeanor had changed. "Gunter, what are you doing?" He reached down to pull his shirt lower, hoping to cover himself more, but it was hard to focus with the weight of the other man pressed on top of him.

"Taking away your sadness by making you think of something else, my dear husband." Gunter leaned down and clamped his teeth on the lobe of Yuè's ear, making the silver haired man moan in surprise. "I couldn't stop thinking about you in that towel last night, Yuè. My body wanted you in ways a self hand job and imagination wouldn't quench." He purred out deeply.

Yuè pressed his hands against Gunter's chest, pushing against him. "Gunter, you c-cant say things like that." Yet despite his protest, he could not stop his body's reaction, guilt and shame burning through him as he hardened against Gunter's leg. "What's wrong with you?"

"What?" His nose ran up the arch of Yuè's neck, making him whimper. "Say things that make you hard against my leg?" He chuckled then, slipping his large and warm hand up Yuè's shirt to stroke his nipple. "The only thing that's wrong with me is wanting to hear you sing in a different way than how you sang to me in my dream. I want to hear you cry out my name."

Yuè did cry out, an embarrassing sound that had him biting his lip. The sensitive buds of his nipples pebbled under Gunter's thumb, making him shy away from the touch. "N-no. You can't, w-we can't Gunter." He shook his head, trying to slip free from underneath him. He needed to go. He needed to go now.

"You don't want me?" Gunter asked, keeping his leg pressed firmly between Yuè's legs. "You don't want me to please you?" He leaned back, eyes still closed but his brows furrowed.

Yuè swallowed the lump in his throat, looking up at him. "You don't know what you're saying, Gunter." He breathed out sadly. "You don't want me." Gunter didn't know Yuè at all. He wasn't some savior from his dreams, he was the human his brother was burdened by saving who would be gone soon. "Gunter…"

"I know exactly what I'm saying, and I know exactly what," He lowered his hips against Yuè's, allowing him to feel his hardened cock through his pants. "I want."

Yuè let out a whimper, eyes squeezing closed at the feeling. His fingers dug into the thick muscle of Gunter's arm, thighs trembling from where they were forced open, leaving him more than a little exposed at the insistence of the other.

"Haaa, G-Gunter." He moaned again weakly. Why was it so hard to focus? What was this feeling that was building in his gut with every honeyed word that slipped past Gunter's lips. What was this pull that made him want to give in to the heady touch.

"Such a pretty moan," Gunter praised him and pushed his shirt all the way up, exposing his pink nipples. One in which he clamped with his teeth the same way he had to the lobe of his ear. "Again. Moan for me again, my beautiful husband."

"Hnnng." Yuè cried out. "N-noo, don't do that. They're sensitive." He tugged at Gunter's hair, trying to pull the man's mouth away from his chest. "Ahhh."

"Gunter!" Emery's voice came from down the hall and Gunter flopped over, accidentally pushing Yue's shirt down as his eyes snapped open.

"We have a guest." The door burst open, Emery standing in the doorway, watching Gunter yawn and stretch.

Had Yuè imagined everything?

"Just five more minutes," Grumbled Gunter as he tucked his head against Yuè's side. "Me and Yuè are napping"

"Yuè, did Gunter force you to sleep in his room?" He narrowed his eyes.

Yuè could only stare at Emery in confusion, flushed all the way down to his toes and more aroused than he would like to acknowledge. "I-I. I need to bathe!" He called, jumping from the bed and rushing past Emery.

He didn't stop until he was in his room with the door shut behind him. He could still smell the natural scent of Gunter's skin on him, feel his weight as he pressed between his legs, his mouth on him.